A huge thank you to Barry Abbott-Trangmar, Andrew Noon, Jamie Barton, Martin Priest, and John Deeble of Henry de Gray Lodge No. 6627, who took fundraising to a whole new level—literally—by completing a tandem sky-dive with Go Skydive at Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent yesterday to raise funds for the TLC Essex Appeal.

Leaping from a perfectly good aeroplane isn’t something most people do lightly, and we are incredibly grateful to these brave brethren for going above and beyond (13,000 feet above, to be exact!) to support the work of TLC Essex.

Although the final total is still being confirmed, early figures indicate the team has raised over £2,500. This incredible achievement was made possible thanks to the support of their lodge members, families, friends, and kind donations from St George’s Chapter No. 4117 and St John’s Lodge No. 1343.

As always, we’re grateful for every penny raised, but such courageous efforts deserve special recognition. So together with W.Bro Martin Sycamore, TLC Essex Events Co-ordinator, and AeroTed (Big Ted’s daredevil brother!), we had the pleasure of attending the event to present each skydiver with a TLC Essex Supporter’s Certificate as a token of our immense appreciation.

Thank you, brethren—your commitment helps us bring comfort to children across Essex when they need it most.